Xbox 360 Will Get All Call of Duty Map Packs First

It is bad news for Call of Duty fans on the PC and PlayStation 3, and status quo for Xbox 360 gamers, as Activision has confirmed that it will extend its contract with Microsoft to allow them first run rights on any map packs and expansions. The last two map packs for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2- which are both best-sellers online- became available nearly a month before they expand to the PC and PS3, and with the new deal that scenario will remain until 2012.

Although no more map packs have been announced for Modern Warfare 2, the success of the “Stimulus Package” and the “Resurgence Package” map packs all but ensure that the next game in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, will plan on releasing multiple DLCs (downloadable content).

“With 25 million members, Xbox LIVE is the industry’s premier online gaming service that establishes the best in cooperative and multiplayer online play for blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty,” Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Xbox Live, Marc Whitten said in an Activision press release. “With the release of game add ons and map packs coming first to Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE is the place to play Call of Duty for years to come.”